John Laub presents the Scholar’s Surreptitious Starters, a look at the top college fantasy football sleepers for Week 6 of the NCAA Football season.
College Fantasy Football Sleepers: Quarterback
Layne Hatcher, Arkansas State at Georgia State: O/U 71.5 & Arkansas St. -7.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 37%
My esteemed CFF: On Campus teammate, Justin Heisley advised fanatics to acquire Layne Hatcher in our Waive Wire Gemstones column on Tuesday. It appears that many took his advice: Hatcher’s ownership has been catapulted from 7% to 37% in a couple of days. I even grabbed the Red Wolves’ signal-caller in a league with so many teams on bye.
Who is Hatcher? A redshirt freshman, he transferred from Alabama in the spring and replaced Logan Bonner last week. He concluded the afternoon as the fifth highest-scoring quarterback after passing for 440 yards and four touchdowns, scoring 38 fantasy points. “I just think he steps in and he doesn’t look like a guy who’s afraid of the moment. He’s prepared. He earned the team’s respect over the summer with how he came in and worked. Nobody, even Bonner, outworked him… Teammates believe that the guy’s put in the time. And he looks like a guy that’s ready for the challenge,” coach Black Anderson said last week in the roletidewire.com by Clint Lamb.
In high school, Hatcher was a four-year starter and posted prolific numbers at Pulaski Academy in Arkansas. In the state, he is the all-time leader in passing yards (15,483) and touchdowns (185), finishing his career with 1,002 completions on 1,479 attempts while compiling a 152.9 QB rating. Hatcher also logged 18 career rushing touchdowns and accumulated an astonishing 41-1 record as the Bruins’ starting quarterback the last three years in school.
Coach Anderson’s scheme has manufactured prolific passers in recent years, and Hatcher is now in the driver’s seat. Despite being on the road, the matchup foreshadows another terrific afternoon for the Red Wolves’ aerial assault.
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #89 (248.8 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 41.5 ppg.
James Morgan, Florida International vs. Massachusetts: O/U 66.5 & FIU -26.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 9%
Last year, James Morgan broke many single-season school passing records: Most touchdown passes (26), passing efficiency (157.6) and most touchdowns responsible for (27). When the season kicked off, the redshirt senior was on the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm, Manning Award and Senior Bowl watch lists.
Unfortunately, his 2019 campaign did not begin well. He played poorly against Tulane in the opener, injured versus Western Kentucky the following week and missed the contest against New Hampshire after suffering an ankle injury. Finally, he displayed his talents against Louisiana Tech Saturday: Morgan passed for 393 and totaled three touchdowns.
It does not take a genius to identify UMass as a defense to pick on every week. Last year, the Panthers smashed the Minutemen 62-24 as Morgan passed for two touchdowns. I expect a similar result this weekend and am willing to insert Morgan into my lineups.
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #116 (289 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 47.2 ppg.
Additional QB Sleepers:
- Jake Luton, Oregon State at UCLA: O/U 66.5 & UCLA -5.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 7%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #129 (351.8 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 35.6 ppg. - Steven Montez, Colorado vs. Arizona: O/U 62.5 & Colorado -4.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 37%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #127 (336 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 29.3 ppg.
Twitterverse on Fire!
Who Ya Got? Identify the most enticing under-the-radar QB to place into starting lineups in Week 6.
- Brock Purdy, Iowa State at TCU: 17%
- Quentin Harris, Duke vs. Pitt: 29%
- Tanner Morgan, Minnesota vs. Ill: 40%
- Malcolm Perry, Navy vs. Air Force: 14%
John’s Vote: Malcolm Perry
“I actually picked up Tanner Morgan in the @CFFUniversity Patreon league as a result of the bye week madness. I need him to produce…LOL!” @CffNation
“I am liking me some Layne Hatcher, getting Georgia State this week. He will have another big game.” @JustinNottingh6
College Fantasy Football Sleepers: Running Back
Journey Brown, Penn State vs. Purdue: O/U 56 & Penn State -28
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 7%
During the summer, CFF experts projected Ricky Slade as the starter in the Nittany Lions’ backfield. After four games, it appears that Journey Brown has earned the confidence and praise of the coaching staff among a quartet of runners in the backfield. He leads the club in carries (26) and rushing yards (196). He has also averaged 7.5 yards per attempt, corralled five passes for 88 yards and totaled four touchdowns.
In the beat down against Maryland last Friday, Brown earned the starting assignment and displayed his game-breaking skills. He amassed 62 yards from scrimmage and scored twice on only seven touches. Do not let the low totals cloud your analysis or conclusion of Brown. He is far better than the numbers suggest and likely to garner more touches moving forward.
At 5-foot-11 and 207 pounds, Brown is a superb athlete who brings intensity, explosiveness, dedication and commitment to the field every day. The redshirt sophomore excelled as a sprinter in high school, breaking a 32-year old state record in the 100-meters in 2017. He is now turning the track speed into football stardom. “I told him early he was trying to learn football because he was playing like a track runner. He’s starting to figure this thing out that he can be a pretty good football player. Now he’s starting to understand what it takes to be a football player,” running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider proclaimed in the ncnewsonline.com by Elton Hayes.
Sometimes, CFF owners need to take a leap of faith that a player continues to grow and improve. Brown is one of the “guys” that I am very interested in over the next two months and expect continued improvement on the gridiron.
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #73 (154.5 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 32.5 ppg.
Jason Huntley, New Mexico State vs. Liberty: O/U 62 & Liberty -5.0
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 52%
Once in awhile, the CFF deities give us a matchup that is as easy to identify as picking a low-hanging apple. Well, this week we have one in the Liberty-New Mexico State game. Against FBS opponents, the Flames have been kind to opposing running backs. Moe Neal (89-1), Tre Ragas (129-1), Kevin Marks (108-0) and Ahmari Davis (99-0) have all found success on the ground versus Liberty. Jason Huntley is a better runner than any of the aforementioned opponents.
Over the summer, the New Mexico State ball carrier was named to both the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose and Paul Hornung watch lists. In 2019, he has shined on the gridiron despite playing on a winless team. A good pass catcher, the Aggie has accumulated 408 yards from scrimmage, snatched 19 passes and scored four times. He is currently among the top 36 runners in college fantasy football, scoring over 73 points. Why is he only owned in 52% of leagues?
During his career, he has rushed for over 1,400 yards, corralled 113 passes for 1,035 yards and recorded 18 touchdowns. The senior returned three kicks for touchdowns last season while establishing a school-record with five in his career. I don’t know if Huntley will score on a kick return versus the Flames; however, I’m confident that he exceeds 125 yards from scrimmage and reaches the end zone once.
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #121 (228.2 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 22.6 ppg.
Additional RB Sleepers:
- Javonte Williams & Michael Carter, North Carolina at Georgia Tech: O/U 48 & North Carolina -10.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 5% & 5%
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #128 (254.5 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 28.3 ppg. - Treyvon Hughes, UTEP vs. UTSA: O/U 46 & UTEP -1.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 12%
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #129 (256.5 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 36.5 ppg. - Shakif Seymour, Toledo vs. Western Michigan: O/U 68.5 & Toledo -1.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 4%
Opponent Defense vs. Run: #113 (190.8 ppg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 28.2 ppg.
Twitterverse on Fire!
Who Ya Got? Identify the sleeper running back to place into starting lineups in Week 6.
- Kennedy McKoy, West Virginia vs. Texas: 12%
- Reggie Corbin, Illinois at MINN: 37%
- Tra Minter, South Alabama vs. Georgia Southern: 34%
- Kevin Mensah, UConn vs. USF: 17%
John’s Vote: Kevin Mensah
College Fantasy Football Sleepers: Wide Receiver
Tre Walker, San Jose State vs. New Mexico: O/U 64.5 & SJSU -6.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 31%
Just before I sat down to complete my receiver research this week, I corrected 10 AP U.S. History DBQs (Document Based Questions) on the Salem Witch Trials…I was so happy to open my iPad and begin looking at targets, catches and yardage leaders.
It is a small sample size; nonetheless, CFF diehards cannot ignore the back-to-back productive performances by Spartans’ WR Tre Walker. In only two games, he leads the team in receptions (18) and yards (230).
A closer analysis of the numbers provides even better insight. He tops San Jose State in the market share of attempts at 23% and has been targeted 35 times with a 51% catch rate. Incredibly, Walker has seven red-zone targets, which is 19th-best in the country. Unfortunately, he has not scored once.
If Walker continues grossing that many chances near the opponents’ end zone, he will surely convert some into scores: Ascension to the mean is bound to happen. I anticipate a few more targets in the red zone, and Walker scores his first touchdown of the season against New Mexico.
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #130 (379.5 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 41.5 ppg.
Sam James, West Virginia vs. Texas: O/U 60 & Texas -11.0
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 11%
In the CFF Twitterverse, there is uncertainty in regard to Sam Jones as a viable fantasy asset. A case can be made to pick up and start Jones as well as one to leave the Mountaineers’ playmaker available on the waiver wire.
Those in the former camp point to his raw numbers: He leads West Virginia in targets (38), catches (26) and receiving yards (263) and has a 30% market share of the team’s pass attempts. In opposition, he does not do much with the opportunities. His 6.9 yards per target are mundane, and he averages only 10.1 yards per catch with one touchdown.
Which side of the debate are you on? I consider the glass half full, and Jones can develop and exceed his humdrum stats. The game script and matchup are so scrumptious that the West Virginia receiver is worthy of a start this week against the Longhorns at home.
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #124 (314.5 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 25.5 ppg.
Additional WR Sleepers:
- Dylan Drummond, Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan: O/U 54 & Eastern Michigan -6.0
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 1%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #109 (275.4 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 30.8 ppg. - Kalil Pimpleton, Central Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan: O/U 54 & EMU -6.0
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 17%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #103 (263.5 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 30.3 ppg. - TE Mitchel Wilcox at UConn: O/U 52 & USF -10.5
Fantrax Ownership Percentage: 28%
Opponent Defense vs. Pass: #77 (234.5 ypg.)
Opponent Points Allowed: 36.5 ppg.
Twitterverse on Fire!
Who Ya Got? Identify the sleeper wide receiver to place into starting lineups in Week 6.
- Johnny Ford, USF at UConn: 17%
- CT Thomas, Boise State at UNLV: 31%
- Tutu Atwell, Louisville vs. Boston College: 29%
- Kalil Pimpleton, Central Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan: 23%
John’s Vote: CT Thomas
Are you on board with John’s Week 6 College Fantasy Football Sleepers? Then you’ll probably appreciate his CFF Waiver Wire Recommendations.
Also, be sure to check out Justin Heisey, The Gridiron Scholar John Laub, and InThisLeague’s Scott Bogman’s podcast CFF: On Campus for weekly College Fantasy Football news and analysis on Apple Podcasts or Spreaker.
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